Vol. 33 No. 1 Special Issue, vol. II (2025): Oltre il Novecento. Teoria e prassi per il "Restauro del Moderno"
I casi studio / Case-studies

The challenges in the restoration of the Capanema Palace, Rio de Janeiro

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  • Liliane Janine Nizzola
Liliane Janine Nizzola
Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional, Politecnico di Milano
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/rar-19081

Published 2025-12-12

Keywords

  • Modernist architecture,
  • Brazilian architecture,
  • Heritage restoration,
  • 20th-century architecture,
  • Minimal intervention

How to Cite

Nizzola, L. J. (2025). The challenges in the restoration of the Capanema Palace, Rio de Janeiro. Restauro Archeologico, 33(1 Special Issue, vol. II), 226–231. https://doi.org/10.36253/rar-19081

Copyright (c) 2025 Liliane Janine Nizzola

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The Gustavo Capanema Palace, conceived during Getúlio Vargas’s administration as the Ministry of Education and Health, is a landmark of Brazilian modernism designed by Lúcio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer, and collaborators, with Le Corbusier’s guidance. Its pioneering features, as pilotis, brise-soleils, free plans, passive ventilation, and integration of art, furniture, and landscape, anticipated environmental concerns and symbolised national modernisation. Protected since 1948, the building has faced recurrent conservation challenges. Restoration campaigns since the 1980s culminated in the most extensive intervention, which began in 2019 and concluded in 2025. Guided by principles of minimal intervention, reversibility, and authenticity, the project addressed dilemmas such as replacing obsolete industrial materials and introducing discreet climate systems without compromising integrity. The case demonstrates how modernist heritage can be adapted to contemporary needs while preserving historical values.

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